1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a secondary battery, a method for controlling the image forming apparatus, and a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, among image forming apparatuses (multifunction peripherals (MFPs)) that have an information processing function and operate based on, for example, the electrophotographic method, some have been provided with a secondary battery. Such a secondary battery is connected to a commercial power source, and allows execution of print/copy control for print, copy, scan, facsimile, and the like, and supply of power for backing up some required information, even when power supply from the commercial power source stops due to a power failure.
Regarding such MFPs using power supply from the secondary battery, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-26037 discusses a technique for determining whether execution of a job can be continued according to a power storage state of the secondary battery and the type of the job being executed when a power failure is detected. This technique is directed to, in an MFP configured to operate using the secondary battery when power supply stops due to, for example, a power failure, minimizing a trouble due to the stop of power supply by performing optimum job control according to a charged amount even when a power storage unit is not sufficiently charged at the time of the stop of power supply.
However, the technique discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-26037 determines whether the MFP can continue the job being executed at the time of the stop of power supply. Determining whether the MFP can accept a job newly received after this moment is not discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-26037.
Therefore, the following problem may arise. For example, suppose that a power failure occurs during execution of a certain job, and as a result of a determination about whether the job can be continued according to the technique discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-26037, the MFP determines that the MFP can continue to execute this job. Then, in this state, the MFP receives a second job, whereby the MFP consumes the stored power amount for acceptance thereof. As a result, the stored power amount falls below a power amount required for completion of the execution of the first job, thus making completion of the execution of the first job impossible.
Therefore, the following problem may arise. Regarding the MFP configured to operate using the secondary battery at the time of a power failure, suppose that this MFP is operating using the secondary battery, for example, when a power failure occurs during execution of a certain job. Then, as a result of the determination about whether the job can be continued according to the technique discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-26037, the MFP determines that the MFP can continue this job. In this state, the MFP receives a second job. In this case, the MFP consumes the stored power amount by accepting this second job, by which the stored power amount falls below a power amount required for completion of the execution of the first job, thus making completion of the execution of the first job impossible.
More specifically, there is the following problem. Upon reception of a job, the MFP calculates a power amount required to execute this job in the determination about whether the job can be continued according to the technique discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-26037. Then, the MFP accepts the job if the calculation result is less than the current remaining capacity of the secondary battery. Therefore, the MFP becomes unable to complete a preceding job that is being executed.